PRTG Manual: ONE—Download, Installation, and First Login

We offer two options to monitor your network with PRTG Network Monitor: use PRTG on premises to run PRTG in your network, use PRTG hosted by Paessler to run PRTG on a server that Paessler hosts for you.

If you want to use PRTG on premises, just download it from our website and install it on a Windows computer.

PRTG hosted by Paessler does not require a download or installation to set up the PRTG server, just create an instance on https://my-prtg.com

You can find the installer for PRTG on our website https://www.paessler.com. There you can also log in to the Paessler shop to buy or upgrade your license, or to renew your maintenance.

This only applies to PRTG on premises instances, not to PRTG hosted by Paessler.

Download PRTG Network Monitor

Downloading PRTG Network Monitor

Please download the latest publicly available program version from the Paessler website. The trial version will be fully installed automatically.

Every freeware installation starts as a trial version that allows you to use an unlimited number of sensors for 30 days. After the trial period has expired, your installation automatically reverts to the freeware edition with 100 sensors. Please understand that customers with a commercial license get prioritized support.

To upgrade your running trial or freeware version to a commercial edition, please purchase a commercial license key on https://shop.paessler.com and enter this key on the license page in the PRTG web interface.

Updates are free to customers with an active maintenance contract. If you do not have an active maintenance contract, please log in to the Paessler shop to renew it or contact [email protected].

Once installed, the PRTG Software Auto-Update will automatically download and install new software versions. This helps you keep PRTG up to date without manually installing new PRTG versions.

Install PRTG on Premises

Double-click the setup file on the computer that you want to use as PRTG server. Follow the installation wizard and install the software.

This only applies to PRTG on premises instances, not to PRTG hosted by Paessler.

At the end of the installation, PRTG opens a new browser window automatically. It connects to the PRTG web interface, shows the device tree, and starts the setup assistant. Please load the web interface with one of the officially supported browsers:

Google Chrome 61 or later (recommended),

Mozilla Firefox 56 or later,

Microsoft Internet Explorer 11

We recommend that you use Google Chrome to access the PRTG web interface. Firefox has security issues and Internet Explorer as well as Microsoft Edge and other current browsers might have issues with some functionalities. See Detailed System Requirements for more details.

Due to scripting incompatibilities, you might not be able to use all functionalities of the PRTG Ajax web interface with Internet Explorer 10 or earlier and other older browsers. If you cannot access the PRTG web interface, please open the URL of PRTG in another browser.

Create a PRTG hosted by Paessler Instance

PRTG hosted by Paessler runs in the cloud, so setting up the PRTG server does not require a download or installation.

You can directly start a free trial from there: enter your desired domain name (between 4 and 60 characters) and click Start Free Trial Now. You can reach your PRTG hosted by Paessler instance with your browser under <yourdomain>.my-prtg.com later.

A window where you have to sign in will appear. You can directly sign in using your Google, Facebook, Windows, or Amazon account (via Auth0). In this case, click the desired service and sign in with your credentials. Alternatively, you can register at my-prtg.com using dedicated credentials.

After signing in, choose your subscription plan, for example, you can start with a free trial for 10 days. Click Subscribe Now and PRTG will create an instance for you.

As soon as your instance is ready, the PRTG web interface will open, show the device tree, and start the Smart Setup. You can also instantly monitor all servers, services, and devices that are publicly available via the internet.

Please make sure you load the web interface with one of the supported browsers. We recommend that you always use the latest version of Google Chrome.

Login

If everything works fine, the first thing you will see will not be the login screen, but the device tree. You only have to log in manually if you use a different browser.

PRTG Login Screen

The default administrator credentials (login name prtgadmin and password prtgadmin) are automatically filled in. Select Login to proceed if you use PRTG on premises.

PRTG Hosted by Paessler Login Screen

If you use PRTG hosted by Paessler, click one of the social login buttons and log in with the according credentials using Auth0, or enter your dedicated my-prtg.com credentials and click Log In. See section Create a PRTG Hosted by Paessler Instancefor more information on how to get started with PRTG hosted by Paessler.

Make sure you use a supported web browser when logging in to PRTG. Please use Google Chrome 61 or later (recommended), Mozilla Firefox 56 or later, or Microsoft Internet Explorer 11.

See the next step for more information about the initial configuration of PRTG using the Smart Setup!